Late Summer Reverse Standings Poll - 30th

[Calgary4LIfe]

I think Ottawa is going on the decline again. I expect Ryan to get traded at some point, and this will probably cause a distraction. They simply have no strength anywhere except Karlsson.

Buffalo finished HORRIBLY bad last year. Their roster on paper this year looks worse than what they started with last year. However, addition by subtraction? I think they were a team last season that just didn't have the energy or the will. Now with a bunch of kids fighting, maybe they can improve.

Really a toss up between those teams. However, Calgary, Carolina and maybe even Arizona all have a strong possibility of finishing last. Florida, Winnipeg and Edmonton should improve on last year's results (let's face it, Edmonton did improve in some ways, and the pressure is on to continue doing so). However, they will only marginally improve.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

Why? If they're top 15, which is doable, there's no reason to think they can't be .500. Goaltending is better this year, the team is largely the same as is the coaching, and might have 1 or 2 young offensive players breakout this year. I don't see why it is a foregone conclusion that the team will be worse.

Because they are a bad team and bad teams generally don't have that strong of a record in 1 goal games.

That leads me to believe they overachieved in that aspect and that it is due to correct.

If you look at their record in 3 goal games it's probably a more accurate indication of where the team was at. 24th overall. The groupings of teams by 3 goal game win % appears to be a lot less random.

[djsFlames]

I can't even decide.

Carolina, Ottawa and Buffalo would be my frontrunners probably though.

Calgary in the 3-5 range.

[_Q_]

In my opinion it'll go like this:

30. Ottawa
29. Buffalo
28. Edmonton
27. Carolina
26. Islanders
25. Vancouver
24. Nashville
23. Calgary
22. Arizona
21. Winnipeg
20. Florida

Yes the Flames will improve
No the Oilers won't improve
Yes the Canucks are that bad this season.
Yes Ottawa is pretty much going to be as bad as they were during the expansion days

[Poe969]

I don't get how people think the Flames will actually improve that much or how other teams are as bad as the Flames. I could see the Flames being in 30th for most of the year. Both Ottawa and the Senators don't look as bad as some are saying, Carolina looks bad but they still have talent on the team, the sabres are going to be our biggest competition but if a few of their prospects pan out and make the jump then they could be better, as much as it pains me to say I think the oilers improved, the islanders have talent on the team and they just have to pull it all together, the panthers are a better team for sure and the rest suck but aren't the level of suck the Flames are. For the Flames not to finish 30th, they're going to need career years from a few players. I look at the Flames as not even being as good as last year unfortunately. At least it seems to be at the right time....

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by _Q_

I went with Ottawa. They literally have nobody that's good on that team.

I picked Ottawa too but Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlson are pretty good.

I like Alex Chiasson too.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by Poe969

I don't get how people think the Flames will actually improve that much or how other teams are as bad as the Flames. I could see the Flames being in 30th for most of the year. Both Ottawa and the Senators don't look as bad as some are saying, Carolina looks bad but they still have talent on the team, the sabres are going to be our biggest competition but if a few of their prospects pan out and make the jump then they could be better, as much as it pains me to say I think the oilers improved, the islanders have talent on the team and they just have to pull it all together, the panthers are a better team for sure and the rest suck but aren't the level of suck the Flames are. For the Flames not to finish 30th, they're going to need career years from a few players. I look at the Flames as not even being as good as last year unfortunately. At least it seems to be at the right time....

I don't see it that way at all.

Most of the losses this team had were during the first half of the season when Ramo and Berra were still trying to figure out how to play in North America or with the suckage of MacDonald. I think a significant improvement in goaltending (the good version of Ramo + Hiller) will vastly improve the team. Also a full season of Giordano (hopefully) plus a more experienced Monahan and Backlund playing an expanded role should catapult this team up the standings. I don't think it's enough to make the playoffs, but this team isn't nearly as bad as some believe.

[MarkGio]

Some early season trades could affect this list. If the Flames trade Glencross and Wideman early on, while selling more at the deadline, that would be clear tanking

[FireGilbert]

I went with Carolina. Buffalo hit rock bottom last year and will be improved with young players getting better and their free agent signings. The Canes did nothing to improve in the off season and I have a feeling it is their year to crash and burn.

[dammage79]

30. Buffalo
29. Ottawa
28. Carolina
27. Arizona
26. Winnipeg
25. Florida
24. Calgary

It is interesting. Folks love to point out how bad the roster is when the only significant losses were Cammalleri and Butler. The Flames actually played far better after the trade deadline so missing Stempniak is not really an issue.

The amount of one goal games the Flames lost and/or won were really coin flips.

Could there be set backs this coming season resulting in a top 5 pick finish? Certainly and probability is in favor of those who feel so.

But it's not as wide a margin as many think. The work ethic should carry over. A couple of players will have their break out seasons and I am more than certain we will see a few pleasant surprises resulting in the Flames picking top ten but not top 5. The east may be weak, but NEVER count out teams going full tear down mid season to jump into the McDavid sweeps. The Flames will not be one of those tear down teams as they've just done so and are building up.

I really do not see the Flames being in on McDavid or Eichel at all in the 2015 draft. But I do see them in the Andersson/Strome realm. And either of those players would suit the Flames just dandy.

[nik-]

I think the best thing for the Flames is to end up with that number 2 pick. McDavid is the big name, and awesome, but I think that Eichel is going to be a damn assassin, and it relieves the management group from the fan reaction of not taking McDavid if Eichel is their guy.

I think we finish 3rd last this year though.

[Caged Great]

I don't see how we will finish better than last year. We lost our best goal scorer and replaced him with nothing. It's not like we were exactly flush with goals last year either. Hiller is not much better than Ramo, if at all. Everything pretty much went perfectly all season and we finished with the 4th overall pick.

If we have injury troubles, especially to any of the key offensive players and we are going to be screwed. The only time last year where the Flames struggled was the two week period after Christmas.

I am hopeful that we do see similar consistency as we did last year, but there are way too many ifs and maybes with this team. I'd be somewhat and pleasantly surprised if we finished ahead of any team other than Buffalo.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I don't see how we will finish better than last year. We lost our best goal scorer and replaced him with nothing. It's not like we were exactly flush with goals last year either. Hiller is not much better than Ramo, if at all. Everything pretty much went perfectly all season and we finished with the 4th overall pick.

If we have injury troubles, especially to any of the key offensive players and we are going to be screwed. The only time last year where the Flames struggled was the two week period after Christmas.

I am hopeful that we do see similar consistency as we did last year, but there are way too many ifs and maybes with this team. I'd be somewhat and pleasantly surprised if we finished ahead of any team other than Buffalo.

You're looking internally at the Flames and really need to look externally to other teams in the league. I guarantee two or three teams will pull the plug early and fire sale hard. That's at least how I see it, thus hampering the Flames' chances at McDavid/Eichel.

And Cammy was the leading scorer last year sure. But he;s just one part of a team. someone or by comity, the Flames will make up those goals. One player in particular stands out to me in that regard. Granlund. Cammy grade shot and knack for finding the open ice.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I picked the Oilers. We hear the same garbage every summer about how they should be better or will be better and they continue to look terrible. Until they prove otherwise with a huge jump in the standings, I still have faith they can be the worst team in the league.

[Vulcan]

We improved our goaltending and our toughness. We won't have much problem competing in the Pacific division in those aspects. We lost two scoring wingers but Raymond should be able to replace one of these. If Colborne, Byron and Monahan show improvement we could surprise some. Rookies such as Gaudreau, Baertschi, Wotherspoon and Granlund could also be big contributors. I'm not ready to write off our chances to compete for a playoff spot yet. Maybe by December though but for now I'm optimistic.

All said we'll probably finish around 18th to 25th overall.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by dammage79

You're looking internally at the Flames and really need to look externally to other teams in the league. I guarantee two or three teams will pull the plug early and fire sale hard. That's at least how I see it, thus hampering the Flames' chances at McDavid/Eichel.

And Cammy was the leading scorer last year sure. But he;s just one part of a team. someone or by comity, the Flames will make up those goals. One player in particular stands out to me in that regard. Granlund. Cammy grade shot and knack for finding the open ice.

We too have several pieces that could hypothetically move as well if we decide to pull the plug, including Ramo and Glencross, potentially more depending on if they want to go full Buffalo (Hudler/Wideman/Smid and/or others). On paper, the only team that I would peg as legitimately worse is Buffalo, along with phoenix but that's a different situation because of Tippett. They've been worse than the Flames on paper pretty much every season since they hired Tippett and they have been better in the standings most if not all the years he's been there. Awesome coach, him and Quenneville are my two favourites. Nashville has quite a few good young guys coming through, so I don't think they'll be that bad. Carolina might if they trade Staals.

It's not a bad thing to be bad in the standings during a rebuild as long as you're instilling good habits in the players you bring in, like what we saw last year. It's bad to be bad when you're trying to get out of rebuilding though like Edmonton/NYI/CBJ/FLA. The Flames are really only 1 1/2 years into a full on rebuild. Usually those take 3-4 years if you're doing them right.

If you expect the worst, and hope for the best, then you won't be disappointed. I'm expecting a 29th/30th finish like I was last year, and hoping that they'll continue to show some gumption again this season like they did this past season. If they finish 20th, I'll be thrilled because they are getting some stellar performances from people. If they finish 30th, welcome to Calgary McDavid/Eichel. Win win in my books.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Buffalo's roster > our roster

How?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

The Flames actually had a .510 win percentage in one goal games last season which was good for tenth in the league.

I doubt that is likely to repeat in 2014/15.

I agree.

Some people have made the point that the goaltending was bad in the first half of the season, which cost the team some points. And that is definitely true.

However, there were an awful lot of games in the second half where they got a point out of sheer determination or some good luck.

I think they will be very hard pressed to be .500 or better in one goal games again this year.

IMO, it isn't dis-similar to the Oilers in 06. The only reason they made the playoffs was an unbelievable (and unsustainable) record in shoot-outs. Weren't they 19-2 or something silly like that? The next year, their true colours reappeared.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

How?

I am wondering the same thing...

[ForeverFlameFan]

I think a lot of are failing to realize that Berra lost a lot of games for us. Adding Hiller will win us a lot more games than relying on the Cammy scoring. I wouldn't mind a McDavid/Eichel/Hanifin type player one bit, but I wouldn't be mad at all if we are in Barzal/Kylington/Andersson territory.